Have you had any success finding middle-grade novels featuring Hanukkah?

Well, today, I don’t have any books to talk about because sometimes, you just gotta make a tart.

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah.

When I was a kid, my mother would have prepared a special dinner of brisket and a salad (everything chopped so finely you couldn’t tell a cucumber from an onion) and a bit of applesauce and potato latkes. (And gefilte fish which is just wrong…unless you enjoy it. Then, by all means, have at it.)

The latkes my mother made were just mashed potatoes, flattened and cooked until crispy in a saute pan.

For dessert, Sufganiyot—small, round jelly-filled donuts—is often served.

But never at my house.

My father was not a dessert person, and my mother didn’t bake.

If you also don’t bake or don’t like fussy desserts, I have something of a miracle dessert for you to make and serve during Hanukkah or any time.

It’s so simple, anyone can do it…your 9-year-old, your husband, your sister who can’t cook to save her soul.

You’ll be so impressed.

I made mine with an espresso whipped cream and played around (and failed) with pastry bags and tips.

You certainly don’t need to do that.

You can dollop the whipped cream on each slice or spread it on top of the whole tart.

You can make your own whipped cream, use the espresso whipped cream recipe below, or even buy already-whipped cream.

Another option, don’t use whipped cream at all.

Instead, you can sprinkle sea salt on top.

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TART

(Adapted from recipe at theviewfromgreatisland.com)

You’ll need a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or you can use a 10-inch pie pan.

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 ½ cups chocolate wafer crumbs or chocolate graham cracker crumbs. (I used chocolate graham cracker crumbs because I couldn’t find wafer crumbs. Don’t use Oreo cookies because they’re too buttery/oily and will ooze out of your tart pan.)

• 4 Tbsp butter, melted (I used about 6 Tbsp)

For the ganache (fancy word for filling):

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

• 12-ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped. In theory, the better the chocolate, the better the tart. I’ve read that using chocolate chips isn’t ideal because they have stabilizers in them and, therefore, don’t melt as well. But I used an 11.5-ounce bag of Guittard dark chocolate chips and about half an 11.5-ounce bag of Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips.They melted just fine.

• 4 Tbsp butter, room temperature

• 1 Tbsp flaky sea salt (optional—and don’t use it until the tart has set)

For the espresso whipped cream:

• 1 ½ cups very cold heavy whipping cream

• 4 tsp warm water

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin (this acts as a stabilizer so you can decorate the tart in the morning and serve it at dinner and the whipped cream will hold its shape!)

• 1 tsp espresso powder or 1 packet Starbucks Via. (You can buy a small jar of espresso powder and use it in cookies and cakes, too.)

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar (or a little more to taste. But start with 1/3 cup.)

Instructions

For the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Put graham crackers or chocolate wafers in a Ziploc bag and crush them by rolling over the bag with a rolling pin. (Alternatively, use a food processor.) Measure out roughly 1 ½ cups of crumbs. (I used about 2 cups.)

3. Melt butter and add to crumbs. Mix with a fork until mixture feels like wet sand.

4. Press the mixture into your tart pan or pie dish and up the sides of it. Tamp it down well with your hand or the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

For the ganache filling:

1. Heat the heavy cream in a medium pot until you start to see little bubbles all around the edges. You want it to be warm but not scalding. Remove from heat when you see those bubbles.

2. Add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars to the warm cream. Let it melt for about half a minute, then mix with a spoon until it’s all runny and glossy.

3. Add the butter in pieces. Whisk well.

4. Immediately, pour the warm ganache into your cooled crumb shell. Smooth it over with a spoon, if necessary.

5. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

6. When it’s set, you can sprinkle the sea salt or decorate with the whipped cream.

For the espresso whipped cream: (Adapted from recipe at bakersbrigade.com)

1. Combine the unflavored gelatin, espresso powder and warm water in a pan. Stir and let stand until thickened. About 5 minutes.

2. Pour the cold heavy whipping cream and the powdered sugar into a cold mixing bowl.

3. Mix on low until it reaches a very soft peak. (I also put my beaters in the freezer for a few minutes. Everything whips up better when it’s all very cold.)

4. Add the espresso/gelatin mixture. Whip, starting on lowest setting and gradually increasing speed, until stiff peaks form that hold their shape.

5. At this point you can either dollop or spread the cream on the tart. Or…

6. Put the whipped cream into a pastry/frosting bag with a pretty tip. I used a 1M tip. Pipe onto the tart in various sizes. Fill in the gaps with a smaller tip.

This tart should keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator.

I’m telling you, you’ll be amazed at what you did!

Happy Hanukkah!

~Gail

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